by David P. Greisman
Top Rank is aiming to put a fight between Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on September 14.
An attorney for the promoter has requested the date with the Nevada Athletic Commission, according to Keith Kizer, the commission’s executive director. The bout would coincide with Mexican Independence Day weekend, which has long been a traditional time to put on some of boxing’s biggest fights.
The Thomas and Mack Center, which is on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, last played host to a bout with last year’s Top Rank pay-per-view over Mexican Independence Day weekend, featuring middleweight champion Sergio Martinez’s win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Marquez, who will be 40 by the time this proposed bout takes place, is coming off a stunning one-punch knockout of Manny Pacquiao last December. That brought the future Hall of Famer’s record to 55-6-1 with 40 knockouts.
Bradley, who will be 30 this August, is a little more than a month removed from his brutal war with Ruslan Provodnikov. Bradley won that fight by close unanimous decision, improving to 30-0 with 12 knockouts and 1 no contest.
David P. Greisman is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow David on Twitter @fightingwords2 or send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com